CNN: 5 things to watch in tonight's debate
President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney face off on Wednesday in the first of three presidential debates. While Obama holds a lead in several key battleground states, the race nationally has been locked in a dead heat for months. The debate offers an opportunity for Obama or Romney to gain some momentum and break the logjam. Here are five things to watch for on Wednesday:

CNN’s John King: Debate all about trust for Romney
To win in November, Mitt Romney must emerge from his first debate with President Barack Obama as the leader on this campaign's defining question: Which candidate do voters trust more to handle the economy?

CNN: In debates, presidential candidates' tics and tells matter
When Mitt Romney is agitated, his arms flail. President Barack Obama has a tendency to drone on and on. Debate experts say both should keep those quirks in check during the upcoming presidential debates. That's because in the world of political theater, nobody likes a ham or a know-it-all, said Melissa Wade, a debate professor at Emory University.

CNN Security Clearance: House GOP wants State Dept. to answer for Libya security
The State Department's rejection of "repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi" came amid "a clear pattern of security threats" in the five months leading up to the attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya, a Thursday letter from House Republicans obtained by CNN reads. "The attack that claimed the Ambassador's life was the latest in a long line of attacks on Western diplomats and officials in Libya in the months leading up to September 11, 2012," the letter from Reps. Darrell Issa and Jason Chaffetz to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reads.

CNN: Border Patrol agent killed in Arizona
A Border Patrol agent was shot and killed Tuesday, while another was wounded near Naco, Arizona, authorities said. The agents fell under fire after responding to a sensor that had gone off near the border, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

CNN: Tennessee: Meningitis outbreak is investigated
Non-contagious meningitis struck 14 patients - all but one in Tennessee - who received steroid injections, leaving two dead, according to health officials investigating the outbreak. Thirteen of the victims - in their late 40s to their early 80s - received injections at a Nashville medical facility, Woody McMillin, spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Health, told CNN on Tuesday.

CNN: Hoffa case: Soil tests show no evidence of human remains
The seemingly never-ending search for the remains of missing Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa hit another dead end Tuesday when soil results taken from the grounds of a home in Michigan showed no evidence that human remains were buried on the property.

CNN: Pope's former butler claims innocence in 'Vatileaks' trial
Pope Benedict XVI's former butler declared himself innocent Tuesday of a charge of aggravated theft in connection with leaked documents - but said he had abused the pope's trust. Paolo Gabriele has previously admitted taking hundreds of secret papers from the pope's personal apartment and passing them to an Italian journalist.

CNN: Georgia's ruling party concedes defeat in parliamentary elections
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded his party's defeat Tuesday, setting the stage for the nation's first peaceful, democratic transition through election since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Victory in the parliamentary elections went to a coalition headed by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili. Ivanishvili is set to become the next prime minister. Saakashvili will remain president until presidential elections next year.

CNN: Syrian refugees in Turkey: Police are forcing us from homes
Turkish police are going house to house in this border province issuing an ultimatum, Syrian refugees say: Either move into a refugee camp or go back to Syria. More than a half dozen Syrian refugees living in rented homes in Antakya and the nearby town of Yayladagi offered similar descriptions to CNN of the stark choice recently imposed by local Turkish authorities.

CNN: Survivors recount chaos, horror of ferry collision
What started off as an exciting boat trip to celebrate China's National Day in Hong Kong quickly turned into a nightmare for more than 100 passengers on board. Local power company Hong Kong Electric had been ferrying a group of its employees and their families to watch an evening fireworks display in the city's Victoria Harbor when it collided with a ferry heading from Hong Kong Island to Lamma, one of 200 outlying islands in the territory.

CNNMoney: Economists: Housing recovery finally here
It's been a long time coming, but economists surveyed by CNNMoney believe the nation's housing market has finally turned the corner. Of the 14 economists who answered questions about home prices in the survey, nine believe that prices have already turned higher or will make that turn later this year. Only three months ago, half of the economists surveyed by CNNMoney believed a turnaround in prices would not take place until 2013 or later.

CNN: Moody's: Obama still on track to beat Romney
Despite a wave of disappointing economic reports, President Obama is still likely to top Mitt Romney on Election Day, according to the latest forecast from Moody's Analytics.According to the model, which produces a state-by-state prediction based in part on the latest economic data, Obama is on track to capture 303 electoral votes. (270 are required for victory.)

In case you missed it…
CNN's John Berman reports on the war of words that's on constant display this election season.

soundoff(2 Responses)

Judith Rosen Lipner

I believe CNN reportage of the Benghazi attack needs dome balance. Our former ambassador was a brave man who believed that good old fashioned diplomacy was his guiding force. He believed his popularity with the Libyan people especially in Benghazi perhaps clouded his perception of such imminent and organized terrorist begs behavior. Even though CNN found some. Evidence. Of the ambassador's own written concerns about his own increasing ssfety

October 3, 2012 07:00 am at 7:00 am |

Gurgyl

Obama needs to stress on his achievement such as healthcare pass, GM saved, Bi Laden Killed, Fin.Reg. Reform, DADT, then, in his first two years–healthcare Bill was more important because he has two houses in control, this Healthcare was neglected for fifty years–it was a proper time to sign this nation's dire needed law. Jobs bill was also important–but surprisingly the most inept congress that won with tears of John Boehner, I bet that was people's mistake to vote for this congress, OBSTRUCTED THE JOBS BILL. Also he needs to be clear what he wants to do to move nation forward in second term, focussing American Middle Class. I mean 47% of this nation's folks. Obama12.